Two Flee South Lake Tahoe Drug Lab Explosion

Two people are being sought in connection with a drug lab that blew up in South Lake Tahoe on Tuesday night.

The suspects were seen running from the apartment on Larch Avenue after the 8:20pm explosion on May 19. Glass was blown out and a small fire started. However, the damage was minimal. The building inspector did not condemn the residence.

“Sometimes the violence of the explosion is enough to extinguish any type of flame,” Police Chief Brian Uhler explained.

The two suspects were using butane to extract THC. Stems, seeds and other byproducts of a marijuana plant that are not sellable can have the honey oil extracted from them to be made into edibles or it is smoked. The process to get this concentrated THC, though, is “extremely dangerous”, according to Uhler.

“We live in a forest. With the oncoming season of what is expected to be worst fire season ever, we need to do things to get control of what is an excess production going on,” Uhler told Lake Tahoe News.

He encourages people to report suspected illegal marijuana grows as well as if people see neighbors with a large number of butane canisters. Estimates are more than 400 illegal grows exist in the city limits.

South Lake El Dorado Narcotics Enforcement Team is handling the investigation into Tuesday’s blast. Area hospitals have been notified in case someone with injuries that may be consistant with that of a butane fire show up.